PCOS diet book extremely helpful, although I could use help with the Maintenance Level

My husband and I have been trying to conceive for 2 years when we went to a specialist since I was only getting a couple periods a year. I was diagnosed with PCOS and pre-diabetes. I was started on Metformin and was told to cut down on carbs in my diet.

Your book was very helpful with understanding everything. However, since I am slightly underweight I wanted to begin at the Maintenance Level. Your book doesn't give any specifics on this other than "selected starchy vegetables, whole legumes, and whole grains", and unrestricted portions. Are there any further readings I could do on the Maintenance Level?

Thank You for opening my eyes to many factors that have probably contributed to my PCOS, and helping me understand how to manage it.

Editor's note: I agree we need to provide more guidance for those who have are underweight. We may do that in a future teleseminar. Since you've been diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome and pre-diabetes, along with fertility issues, we might assume you have a problem with insulin resistance (poor insulin efficiency) and unhealthy levels of blood sugar.

The primary cause of insulin resistance is the consumption of refined carbohydrates and fabricated foods lacking in fiber. This is why those foods are excluded from our recommended diet. To re-include them because you are underweight is not a wise move they only worsen your insulin resistance.

However, you can try adding in carbohydrates that are not refined such as starchy vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. In this case, make sure you restrict yourself to those foods that have the lowest Glycemic Load. We refer to Glycemic Load in the diet book. There are books and websites that have Glycemic Load values for various foods. There are dozens of foods in this category. Winter squash and rolled oats are two examples that come to mind.

Protein adequacy is important for maintaining healthy weight. Raw nuts and seeds also help weight maintenance.

Thirdly, you can increase your exercise. Muscle is much heavier than fat. Muscle also takes up much less space. Therefore, people who exercise tend to have "smaller" bodies but they are not underweight.